James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 303: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Longford can not be issued with passports for themselves and their children as Gaeilge, rather than in a bilingual format, in view of the recognition of Irish as an official language of the EU. [4627/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The format of Ireland's passport complies fully with all the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European Union (EU). The ICAO sets common standards for travel documents as part of its role to facilitate the secure movement of people across international frontiers. ICAO Document 9303 sets out in detail the standards for machine readable travel documents. In relation to language this document requires that the wording of the information page of passports should be displayed in one of three languages, namely English, French or Spanish.

In relation to personal data entered into passports, Document 9303 requires that details of date of birth, place of birth and so on must be accompanied by a translation into English, French or Spanish. Accordingly, these data appear in both Irish and English, with the Irish versions appearing first. The passport holder's name is entered in one language only. In most cases this is the name in which he or she was registered at birth. Additional requirements apply in respect of passports issued by EU member states. Council Resolutions of 23 and 30 June 1981 set out the uniform pattern of passports to be issued by member states. The cover must have the words "European Union", the emblem of the State, the name of the State issuing the passport and the word "Passport". This information must be displayed in the language(s) of the issuing State. In the case of Ireland's passport, these words appear in both Irish and English, with the Irish versions taking precedence and appearing first.

Producing passports and entering data in the format described above ensures compliance with international requirements and also ensures that information on the passport can be recognised and understood across the European Union and beyond.